From classrooms to careers: TCF graduates build businesses across Pakistan
KARACHI (PR): Education is increasingly translating into professional careers, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities beyond Pakistan’s major urban centres, as The Citizens Foundation (TCF) reports 79,400 graduates since its establishment in 1995.
The organization’s latest figures for 2025-26 show that student enrolment across its nationwide school network has increased to 343,000 from 320,000 a year earlier, reflecting the expanding reach of its education programme.
TCF currently operates 2,342 school units across Pakistan, supported by 17,500 female teachers, while its graduates are pursuing higher education, entering professional fields and establishing businesses in their communities.
The impact is particularly visible in smaller cities and underserved districts, where access to quality education can create opportunities beyond traditional employment.
In Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, TCF graduate Mohammad Owais Khan has turned his interest in technology into an entrepreneurial venture. After completing his Intermediate education in Computer Science, he secured scholarship support to study Computer Science at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.
Alongside his studies, Owais established Xora Solutions, an information technology company in his hometown that has grown into a team of eight, creating employment and learning opportunities for others.
Another example is Kulsoom Afzal from Lasbela, Balochistan, whose education was interrupted by financial difficulties. After returning to school in Grade 5 at a TCF institution, she secured the highest marks in her district’s Intermediate examinations.
She has since become one of Lasbela’s first female civil engineers and is pursuing a master’s degree at NED University.
These journeys illustrate how educational opportunities can contribute not only to individual advancement but also to local economic activity, professional representation and employment generation.
Speaking about the organisation’s approach, TCF President and CEO Zia Akhter Abbas said enrolment figures were important, but the real measure of education was what students went on to achieve.
He said the organisation wanted its students to continue learning, make informed choices, support themselves and their families, and contribute positively to their communities.
Beyond formal schooling, TCF’s Aagahi Adult Literacy Programme has reached 337,000 learners, primarily women who missed opportunities for formal education earlier in life. The initiative provides foundational literacy and numeracy skills to improve their independence in everyday life.
Founded in 1995 by a group of citizens, TCF has developed an extensive education network across underserved rural and urban communities, with girls accounting for nearly half of its student enrolment.
As the organization enters its 31st year, its growing network and graduate outcomes underline the broader economic significance of education: developing skilled individuals, supporting entrepreneurship and creating opportunities within communities that have historically faced limited access to quality schooling.